Content
by Rin-Rin Yu Die
Summary: Kagome was content with it as long as it worked. Sesshomaru wasn't though.


**Content**

The light never stopped flickering. The child who had flickered it was long gone and the bulb had been replaced many times over yet it still flickered. It was probably faulty wiring, something detrimental to her houses safety, but she never bothered to fix it. She was content with it and it reminded her of her little boy.

It was the light in the study that flickered constantly. It was the only light in the study and though she could get a new one, she didn't. The light she had once had for her desk had been taken by her ex-husband when he left, taking her last shred of happiness with him as well.

On the desk was an ancient looking computer, some papers, and a photo of young, happy couple and their boy. Like everything else in the room, the computer worked and that's why she kept it. There was no point in getting rid of it; it had a word processer and access to the internet. Also residing on the desk currently was an old flip phone, long gone from store shelves. It didn't have internet capabilities but as long as she was able to call and text she was content with it.

Behind the desk were a couple of bookshelves made of cheap, unpainted wood and stone blocks. It wasn't very pretty but it was useful. Two windows the left side looked out at dead grass, dead trees, dead bushes, and dead flowers. The yard didn't matter, she'd say.

She grabbed the phone, looking to see if there were any new messages. There was and it was from her ex.

_Hey, mind lending me a couple grand?_

No was her reply.

She didn't have a couple grand. If she did, she'd be back home and helping her mother take care of the shrine. Her ex had sucked her dry and barely left her standing. She'd sold all the nice furniture they had, leaving a house that was bare as bones. Much of her ex-husbands exotic stuff that he hadn't cared enough to grab on his way out had fetched a pretty penny but all of it was being put towards bills and food. She couldn't waste her money on whatever silly things her ex wanted her to.

She slipped the phone into her purse, zipped up her coat and went to work. She worked at a museum and she was paid minimum wage. As long as it paid the bills she was content.

* * *

She took some fifteen-year-old boys money and put it in the register, a fake smile plastered on her face. She handed the boy a brochure that talked about the place, a map, a couple ads and then told him to have fun. He smiled and said thanks.

Time to go.

She left the register just as the other girl who worked here arrived. Some high school senior who thought very little of her co-worker because she was older and wasn't working somewhere else, getting more than minimum wage.

"Goodbye Kagome," she said rudely.

"Good luck Missy," Kagome replied with fake happiness.

She was good at faking things.

Kagome walked home, taking her normal route through the park, past a bakery that was always packed, past a singles bar and through an alley. During winter months when it was dark by the time she reached the alley, she continued along the main path. She didn't want to be mugged. During summer though, it was light out by the time she reached the alley so she go down. It was much quicker.

Kagome didn't own a car. She'd shared a car with her ex and he'd taken it when he left. She also didn't use a taxi or the bus because it cost money. Yes, it was a long walk from her house to the museum, being just under three hours, but it was free and she was content.

She unlocked the front door, took off her shoes, and headed to the kitchen. She pulled out a package of ramen, set a pot of water on the stove, and made the meal. It wasn't the best thing in the world and she was tired of the noodles but they were cheap and easy to make.

She sat on the couch to eat, flipping on the news. It spoke of some horrific shooting somewhere but she wasn't listening. She was remembering the school shooting only two years before. When she turned on the news that day and heard her son's school name, her blood had turned to ice. In that shooting, seven kids had been injured and survived, only one child having died. Her child, her little boy, the one that flickered the light in the study, the one in the picture, was the one that died.

The unpleasant memories were coming back, causing tears to spring to her eyes. She instantly turned off the news, set the half-finished bowl of ramen on the table and called her mom. She needed comfort and her mother was the only one who could give it to her.

Her mother managed to calm the raging bundle of emotions that was Kagome in that instant. She hung up with her trademark remark that Kagome should find a new person to love and spend her days with. Someone who could calm her down when she got upset instead of Kagome having to call her mother all the way in Japan.

Normally she didn't listen. What was the point really? The last one had left her broke, jobless, and empty. He'd left when he heard their little boy was dead and didn't even shed a tear. He made it obvious that he'd only married her out of propriety since he'd gotten her pregnant. Now the child was gone and he saw no reason to stick around.

But for once Kagome had listened and was taking it into consideration. She'd seen so many couples lately, so many of them smiling and not faking it. It was sweet. It was happy. It looked like something Kagome could be more than content with, it was something she could be ecstatic about.

Tomorrow, she'd stop at the singles bar on her way home.

* * *

It was time to go and Missy had yet to show her face. Where was the bratty girl? Kagome sighed, grabbing her purse and looking around to see if maybe she came through the back. She spotted Missy standing on the second floor peering through the window at something.

"Missy!" Kagome yelled. The girl jump before looking at Kagome. She must've realized that it was her shift and time to go. Sighing, Missy took the stairs two at a time and came up to Kagome. This she was sneering at the old woman. Something was up.

"Have you seen the new gardener? He is sooooo hot." She giggled then went to work. Kagome just shook her head and headed out.

"So, what do you do for a living Kouga?" Kagome asked the black haired, blue-eyed man. Kagome had to admit, he was very attractive but there was something about his brash attitude that made Kagome want to leave. There was also something else about him that unsettled her. It was probably him constantly sticking his hand in his pocket and looking at the clock. Maybe he found her uninteresting.

"I'm a-a maid." Kouga blushed and looked away.

"That's fine," she said. "Honestly I work for a museum."

"Really?" he said, looking back at her. "What's the museum like?"

"Old with lots of art."

He laughed, a wolfish grin on his face. It caused Kagome to laugh too. Yes, he was odd but so was her ex.

And said ex just walked through the doors and headed to a corner table, sitting down with a red haired lady.

"You know him?" he asked, following her eyes.

"My ex-husband."

"That girl is the girl my mom wanted me to marry."

"Why didn't you?" she asked.

"We were dating but someone tipped me off that she was going to singles bars and bringing home different men so I came here to see if she really was. Sorry Kagome, I used you to check whether this is true or not. Can you forgive me?"

Great, she wasted her time on someone who wasn't interested. She said yes anyways and exchanged phone numbers with him. Even if it didn't work tonight, maybe he come around some other time. She'd be content for now.

Just as she was leaving, so was her ex. The red head wasn't following so she guessed he hadn't managed to score one. He recognized her instantly and hurried to catch her. They might've split but he still got possessive of her.

"What were you doing in there?" he said angrily.

"Why do you care Inuyasha?" She didn't even look at him. He didn't deserve it.

"Kagome," he grabbed her shoulder. "I asked you first."

"I'm not yours anymore. I'm my own person and I should be able to date."

He glared at her but let go of her shoulder. "Let me drive you home."

It was dark out so she'd have to go the long way but it sounded much better than getting a ride from Inuyasha. She turned him down politely and when he argued, she just walked away. She wouldn't listen to him even if he made the point that she had an hours walk home.

* * *

The next day as she approached the steps of the museum, she caught sight of someone kneeling by the rose bushes, scissors in hand. Kagome looked at him questioningly. He had long silver hair pulled back into a ponytail and he was wearing overalls. Kagome, against her better judgement, approached.

"Sir, what are you doing."

He turned his head slightly so he could see her and she could see golden eyes. He was glaring at her, his mouth drawn into a tight frown.

"I'm gardening." When he saw her looking at the scissors he explained that roses should be handled with care and that scissors were best.

So this was the new gardener.

"What's your name?" Kagome asked.

"Sesshomaru."

She got the feeling that he really didn't want her there anymore. Actually, she'd had that feeling since she approached but had ignored it because of her curiosity. Now it was very hard to ignore when he was still glaring at her.

"My names Kagome."

She waved goodbye and hurried up the steps and into the museum. She'd be content with knowing his name for now.

Missy was right though, the gardener was very attractive, although he had a very anti-social air about him.

* * *

It was an uneventful day at work and since the singles bar was closed on Tuesdays, Kagome just headed home that evening. Well, except for the fact that the gardener stopped her on her way out and asked her to take the scissors back inside.

Maybe he isn't anti-social, she thought as she handed the scissors to Missy. She huffed but put them away.

When she came back out, the gardener was stepping into a black Honda Civic. She sighed. Even the person with a green thumb has a car. People have heard how bad cars were for the eco system, right?

The passenger side door popped open, as if a silent invitation for someone to get in. She glance around and saw no one else around. Casually, she walked over as if she was going to get on the sidewalk but stopped in front of his car.

"Um…"

"Do you want a ride somewhere, _Kagome_," he said through gritted teeth.

It wasn't her ex so why not?

She got in and told him the address which he punched into a GPS. It was a silent car ride and quickly over. She was glad to get out seeing as she'd never been a big fan of cars. They were detrimental to everyone's health.

As she pushed open the car door, she heard Sesshomaru sigh. She glanced back at him and noticed that he was staring out the window and at her garden. He didn't make any comment so she just shrugged it off as him being a gardener and got out. He didn't have to be content with her garden, it only mattered if she was content with it.

* * *

It was Sunday, her only day off all week. She only got it off because the museum was closed. She didn't mind really, she'd be content with working on Sundays too. Either way, it was her only day off and normally she spent it on the couch watching some cheesy drama on TV. Today however, someone rung her doorbell.

She got up and looked through the peephole. To her surprise Sesshomaru stood there frowning as always and holding gardening tools. She opened the door and said hello. All he did was raise one eyebrow questioningly.

"Put some clothes on that you don't care about getting dirty. We are fixing this _mess_ you have.

He really was a gardener.

Kagome ran upstairs and pulled on some clothing she didn't care about and went to help him. He'd already started on weeding her flower bed.

"Why are you doing this?" she asked as she knelt beside him. He handed her some gloves and another one of the tools he was using.

"Because of the disgustingness that is your 'yard'."

"So? I didn't ask you to help. I really don't care about it anyways."

"I do."

"I don't see why. It's not like I'm going to take care of it even if we make it nice."

"Fine, as long as I tried I'll be fine."

Though she asked more questions and continually tried to discourage him from trying, he continued on and told he what to do. She wasn't very happy but went along with it. Weeding when she was told to weed, cutting things down, and whatever else. Around noon she went inside and made some soup for them. She didn't think that Sesshomaru would be very happy if he was served ramen for lunch. Something about him said that he was above it.

She came back out, holding to bowls and didn't see him where she'd last left him. Maybe he went to get the lawnmower, she thought and went around back to see. He wasn't in the shed. No, he was standing in front of a headstone beneath the only living tree in her garden. She bit her lip and tried to walk over to him, only to find her feet were frozen to the ground.

He knew now.

She'd cut ties with almost everyone who knew her little boy was gone, save for her mother and sadly her ex. Anyone she met nowadays, she never told. She didn't want it to exist and she'd thought she could make it go away if she didn't tell anyone.

Sesshomaru bowed his head respectfully before walking over to Kagome.

"We should plant some flowers there."He took a bowl of soup from her hands and pulled her way and onto her porch. He sipped the soup, his eyes flicking to her occasionally.

"What happened?"

She was silently crying.

He set his bowl down so he could wipe away the tears on her cheeks.

"I know what it's like to lose a child too."

"You do?" she asked quietly, her eyes finally meeting his.

"Yes, my daughter died of cancer a year ago. It's a devastating feeling. My wife committed suicide as well."

"My husband divorced me," Kagome said bitterly.

"You got off easy then."

"He took everything I had. Car, cash, hope."

"Your alive, that's all that matters. You can still start fresh." Sesshomaru knew these words like the back of his hand. He'd said it to his wife as well. Sadly for her, it hadn't worked. However, his wife had never been a very strong person and although he missed her, it actually hadn't been all that surprising. Not expected but not surprising.

"I did, I got a new job and a new life. Still everything here reminds me of him."

"It's not a new house. Have you gotten new furniture?"

"No, just what was left over."

"You should try to redecorate. I found that helped."

"I don't have the money."

"Then are you content with being sad all the time?"

Content. Was she really content with everything? A new computer would be nice. Some more eye-appealing bookshelves would be welcome. The lawn looked better now that it wasn't filled with weeds and dead plants. And that light! It would be so nice if it stopped flickering.

Maybe she wasn't as content as she said she was.

"No."

"You don't have to buy all the furniture at once. One piece at a time."

"I have no money left over by the time I'm done with bills and food," she argued.

"Then let me help."

"Why?" she asked. It was an honest question. She really wanted to know why.

"Because I want to help you. I know how hard it is to lose a child."

"Okay," she agreed with a sigh.

* * *

Ikea, great.

"Good furniture for cheap." He said, guessing her thoughts.

He took her through all the little set ups, showing her everything he the time they got to the mattress section, she was smiling.

"A new mattress," she said with a blissful smile. She was laying down on one of the mattresses, arms spread wide. "It's so comfy. Sesshomaru, you have to try this one."

He laid down at the foot of the bed. He had to admit that the mattress was comfy.

Getting up, he checked the tag to see which one this was. After making a note of it, he pulled the woman he was paying for off the bed.

"Let's get some food before looking for a frame."

"Okay," she said with a real smile. Right now, Kagome was more than content. She was ecstatic.

* * *

He flipped on the light to the study, Kagome standing right beside him, holding one of the boxes for the study. The light flickered a couple times before Sesshomaru turned it off and glared at Kagome.

Sighing, he got a stool, took out the light bulb and looked at the light. It was an easy fix and only took him a few moments. Sesshomaru got a new light bulb for the light before flipping it on. No flickering.

The study was the last room to redecorate, and like every other room, it didn't take long to take everything out and put the new stuff up. He looked at the ancient computer Kagome was hooking up and sighed. His mother had something new than that and she hated technology.

"I'm going to get lunch," he said, covering his actual intention.

When he got back, Kagome was putting the last book on the shelf. She turned to him, probably to make note of his good timing or ask him what he got but instead her mouth made an o and her eyes lit up.

He'd gotten her a laptop.

"How much did that cost."

"Not much," he said vaguely. It was a lie. The laptop was the newest on the market and it cost a pretty penny but it really didn't matter to him. Redecorating Kagome's house hadn't even made a dent in his fortune and neither had the computer which cost less than the furniture.

"How can I repay you?"

He smiled but said nothing, just put the box next to the desk and handed her the Chinese food he'd gotten for her.

* * *

Later on as Kagome opened the box to the laptop, a note fell out. She picked it up and quickly read it before making a phone call.

_Would you be content with getting dinner sometime?_

_-Sesshomaru_

**Finis**

**AN: I have a story for the show I Survived. I survived writing this. **


End file.
